Mohit had now realized just how deeply he was in love with Shikha. He wanted to be with her all the time, even at the office. He never missed a chance to be around her, constantly thinking about her. He wanted to confess his feelings but was scared of her reaction.

It was lunchtime, and they were both in the office. Mohit was waiting for Shikha to come down, as it was her daily routine to call him for lunch. Often, Mohit would be busy, and Shikha would have to pull him out for lunch. Even when he wasn't busy, he pretended to be, just to enjoy her concern for him. He liked how she would pull him, force him to take a break. He had become a bit spoiled, throwing little tantrums.

But today, it was 3 PM, and she hadn't appeared. He was waiting for her, his eyes fixed on the door. Mohit texted her, "Where are you?" but she didn't reply.

Mohit thought to himself, "Where could she be today? Oh God, she must be busy. But is she okay? I have to find out."

He quickly left his cabin and rushed upstairs. On the way, he noticed that Samarth was still in his cabin, which relieved him. "She's not with him," he thought while climbing the stairs. "She must be busy."

When he reached her floor, everyone was surprised to see him there, as he hadn't been up there in months. They knew why he had come. He looked around but couldn't find her. He approached one of the employees and asked about Shikha. The employee informed him that she had left early with Kesha.

This made Mohit really angry. He stormed back to his cabin and slammed the door hard. He placed his hand on the chair and thought, "Where did she go? She didn't even tell me. How dare she leave like this? She could have at least sent a message. She knows I don't eat without her. Fine, I won't eat anything. If she doesn't care about me, why should I care? I won't call her. And why should I? She should have called me. It's her responsibility. I'm her husband. She is definitely answerable to me. Whenever I go anywhere, I always tell her. From now on, I won't tell her anything."

He sat down in his chair and buried his face in his hands. After a few minutes, he couldn't take it anymore and dialed her number, but it was unreachable. He was very irritated. Then he called Piyush.

"Hello... hi dude... calling me from the same office?" Piyush answered.

"Fine, I'm coming to your cabin," Mohit replied.

When he reached Piyush's cabin, Piyush asked, "What's wrong? Why are you so irritated these days?"

"Where is Shikha?" Mohit spat out.

"I don't know, dude. What happened?" Piyush asked.

"She went somewhere with your Kesha," Mohit replied.

"So what?" Piyush asked.

"So what? You're asking me this question? She left without telling me," Mohit said angrily.

"Kesha didn't tell me anything either. What's there to get so hyper about?" Piyush responded.

"Your girlfriend left without telling you, and you're not worried? You're great," Mohit retorted.

"She's my girlfriend, not my assistant. She has her own life. She can go wherever she wants. Mohit, you need to give Shikha her space. You can't bind her," Piyush explained.

"I'm not binding her. I don't stop her from going anywhere. But she should have told me," Mohit insisted.

"Right, just like you tell her everything," Piyush said sarcastically.

"Yeah, I tell her everything," Mohit replied.

"Mohit, think again. You've hidden a lot from her. The tension between you and Samarth, your breakup with Richa, and dude, you haven't even told her that you love her. Don't you think she deserves to know all these things?" Piyush said in one breath.

Mohit was dumbstruck. He didn't have anything to say. He left Piyush's cabin and returned to his own, thinking about what Piyush had said. It was 7 PM, and Shikha still hadn't come back. Mohit tried calling her many times, but it was all in vain.

Mohit returned home to find the door locked from the inside. Relieved that Shikha was home, he pressed the doorbell. Within seconds, Shikha opened the door.

Mohit, unable to contain his frustration, burst out, "Where were you all day? Do you know how many times I called you? Do you have any idea how worried I was? You couldn't make a single call? Next time you do this, there will be consequences."

Shikha was shocked to see him so angry. She stood there, listening quietly.

"Mohit..." she began.

But Mohit interrupted, "What 'Mohit'? You know I don't eat without you. How dare you go like this? By the way, where did you go without telling me?"

Shikha, scared of his anger, tried to explain, "Mohit, Kesha is pregnant. I went with her to the doctor. She was very nervous because her report was due today. She didn't even tell Piyush about this. She asked me not to tell you anything, which is why I didn't. We were supposed to be back by lunchtime, but it took longer at the hospital. My phone also broke, which is why you couldn't reach me. I'm sorry, Mohit. I'm really very sorry."

Mohit didn't say a word and went to his room. He needed some time alone to cool down. He understood her situation and melted at her puppy face. Shikha didn't disturb him. After half an hour, she went to the room and found Mohit busy on his laptop. He was actually ordering a new phone for her but wanted to surprise her. He quickly shut the laptop when he saw her.

"Are you still angry?" Shikha asked.

"No, I'm fine," Mohit replied.

"I told you, Kesha took me with her," Shikha started again.

Mohit cut her off, "It's okay, don't worry. I understand."

"Thanks. By the way, you haven't eaten anything since morning. Let's have dinner together," Shikha suggested.

"Hmmm," Mohit agreed.

They both had their dinner. Afterward, Shikha took the plates to the kitchen and started arranging things. Mohit came to the kitchen, leaning his left shoulder against the wall, watching her with a smile. Shikha didn't notice him, busy with her tasks.

Mohit, still smiling, called out, "Shikha..."

Shikha turned around, surprised, "Oh, you're here. I didn't see you. What is it?" She resumed her work.

Mohit said, "I love you. Do you?"

Shikha froze, numb with shock. She had never expected this in her wildest dreams. Mohit stood there, smiling, knowing what was going through her mind. He came closer, and Shikha looked at him in shock.

"m-Mohit... I-I don't know..." she stammered, hesitating.

Mohit bent down near her ear, and Shikha closed her eyes at his closeness. He whispered, "You don't know?"

Shikha shook her head slightly, breathing heavily. Her heart was racing; she was nervous, tense, and excited all at once.

Mohit whispered again, "You will come to know, don't worry." With that, he placed a sweet peck on her cheek and left her standing dumbstruck in the kitchen.

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